Daily Times

KARACHI: Pakistan’s prolific batsman Babar Azam achieved a career-best Test ranking, number five spot, after his remarkable innings of 143 runs against Bangladesh in the first Test at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi. The prolific batsman, who struggled initially in the longest format, has had a remarkable run in the Test format recently and gained 800 rating points to establish his name in the top five of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings for batsmen. India’s Test skipper Virat Kohli leads the rankings with 928 rating points. Australia’s batting juggernaut Steve Smith is a close second with 911 points. The unstoppable Marnus Labaschagne occupies the third slot with 827 rating points while New Zealand’s batting maestro Kane Williamson occupies the fourth spot with 814 rating points. Babar has featured in 26 Test matches for the Men in Green and has scored 1850 runs at an average of 45.12. The right-hander has scored 13 fifties and five hundreds so far in the longest format with a highest score of 143 runs.